ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Burglary

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Attorney-General how many successful prosecutions there were for burglary in Northamptonshire in each of the last five years.

Oliver Heald: Tables have been deposited in the Library of the House showing the number of burglary cases prosecuted in Northamptonshire in the last five years, and the outcome of those prosecutions, together with comparable data for the whole of England and Wales.

Internet

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Attorney-General what assessment he has made of the level of public understanding of the legal framework applicable to the internet.

Oliver Heald: The legal framework applicable to the internet is, in essence, the same as that which applies beyond the internet. An offence committed on the internet remains an offence. It is my belief that public awareness and understanding of this has been raised by a number of high profile cases and court proceedings over recent months. These have resulted in both fines and imprisonment for the offenders and have been widely reported.
	The Law Commission is currently reviewing the law of contempt and will look at the issue of contempt and the internet. A public consultation will shortly commence. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) also intends to issue guidance to prosecutors on how offences involving social media and the internet should be prosecuted. As part of that process, the DPP has embarked on a series of roundtable discussions with interested parties.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Credit: Interest Rates

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will review the effectiveness of the revised Codes of Practice of the trade associations representing the payday and short-term loan industry published on 25 July 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: The Government welcomed the strengthened Codes of Practice and new Customer Charter published in July by the four main payday and short-term lending trade associations. These are due to be implemented by individual lenders no later than 26 November. We expect these revised codes to deliver enhanced consumer protections as well as provide greater transparency about how these loans work. Citizens Advice and the four trade associations will be monitoring lenders' compliance.
	The trade associations will carry out review of the effectiveness of the Charter and Codes of Practice in summer 2013. I look forward to considering the outcomes of that review.

New Businesses

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills from which budget funding for his Entrepreneurs and Education Programme has been allocated.

Michael Fallon: Funding for the Entrepreneurs and Education programme is being provided under Section 12 of the Industrial Development Act 1982 and has been allocated from the budget available to the Department's Enterprise Directorate.

New Businesses

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what benchmarks and targets (a) he and (b) his officials have set for his Entrepreneurs and Education Programme.

Michael Fallon: Indicative targets have been set for the Entrepreneurs and Education programme. By March 2015, 72 events are expected to have been held under the programme, reaching over 10,500 staff and students from 100 higher and further education institutions and directly engaging 80% of student enterprise societies.

New Businesses

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many entrepreneurs he expects to receive support from his Entrepreneurs and Education Programme.

Michael Fallon: The Entrepreneurs and Education programme is aimed at higher and further education institutions, not at individual entrepreneurs. It will support entrepreneurship through engaging with over 10,500 staff and students from higher and further education institutions and 80% of student enterprise societies. The programme will help those institutions become more entrepreneurial, support the commercialisation of research projects and will give practical support in raising student enterprise aspirations.

South East

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of its trade support service amongst small and medium-sized businesses in the South East.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), the Government’s trade promotion organisation, undertakes a wide range of activity to promote awareness of trade support services among small and medium-sized businesses in the South East. UKTI’s website at
	www.ukti.gov.uk
	provides a range of information and advice to businesses interested in exporting, access to over 5,000 business opportunities in addition to information on events, countries and sectors. Information specifically for firms in the South East may be found at
	www.ukti.gov.uk/southeast
	UKTI is also supporting Open to Export (OpenToExport.com) a new free online business community, designed to bring companies best-practice knowledge and advice, helping them to successfully enter new markets and operate overseas.
	UKTI’s South East team supplement those sources of help and information with a range of activity across the region which includes:
	events and training—focused on a range of sectors and overseas markets;
	partnership working—with a range of business representative organisations and professional bodies;
	social media—where the strategy includes engagement with business via Twitter and LinkedIn; and
	online communications—where UKTI’s South East team communicates regularly with clients via a monthly "Dates for the Diary" e-magazine which reaches 25,000 companies.
	UKTI's South East team will also signpost relevant partner activities and promote access to events run by UKTI and the wider support network.

South East

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the extent to which new start-ups have contributed to economic growth in the South East.

Michael Fallon: One of the main contributions of new start-ups to economic growth is the number of jobs created. The best estimate we have is that start-ups are responsible for a third of all jobs created(1).
	According to Companies House, there were 450 000 new company registrations in Great Britain in 2011/12—the highest since records began in 1997/98 and up from 360,000 in 2009/10. However, the above data is not available at a regional level.
	The Office for National Statistics publishes the data only on start-ups that is broken down to a regional level. However, note that the data is not comparable to the Companies House figures provided above because it relates to VAT/PAYE registered business start-ups. According to the ONS, there were 36,910 business births in the South East in 2010. Information for 2011 will be published next month.
	(1)( )http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/enterprise/docs/j/11-1326-job-creation-and-destruction-uk-1998-2010

World War II: Females

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford of 3 February 2011, Official Report, column 938W, on World War 2, what consideration has been given to the recognition of women conscripted and serving in munitions factories during the Second World War.

Michael Fallon: Careful consideration was given by the Department of possible formal recognition of the enormous contribution made by all those who worked in munitions factories during the second world war. Unfortunately, it was concluded that, given the lack of records and the consequent difficulties in verifying any entitlement, it would not be practical to find a way to recognise the contributions of individual civilian workers.
	However, an All Party Parliamentary Group on Recognition for Munitions Workers was set up last year to explore ways to ensure that the valiant collective efforts of all those who worked in munitions factories are not forgotten—chaired by the hon. Member for Ogmore (Huw Irranca-Davies). I am pleased to report that this Remembrance Sunday, for the first time, munitions workers—both male and female—participated in the march past the Cenotaph. I understand the all-party group is continuing its work, which includes a partnership with the Imperial War Museum (supported by BAE Systems) to record the achievements of munitions workers, along with a possible national memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Shropshire.

CABINET OFFICE

Business Appointments Advisory Committee

Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments has raised any concerns with Ministers regarding commercial employment contracts agreed by former military personnel post-retirement since May 2010.

Francis Maude: No. The role of the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments is to advise the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and former Ministers on applications made to it under the Business Appointment Rules about appointments that former Ministers, senior civil servants and other Crown servants, including the most senior military personnel, wish to take up on leaving Government.

Commissioning Academy Programme

Chris White: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what steps he has taken to integrate social value into his Commissioning Academy programme;
	(2)  when he plans to publish guidance for public sector commissioners on the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: Guidance for public sector commissioners on the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 is currently being developed and will be issued in due course.
	The Commissioning Academy is currently being piloted. We are bringing together commissioners from different parts of the public sector to learn from the most successful commissioning organisations, developing a cadre of professionals that are progressive in their outlook on how the public sector uses the resources available.
	Commissioners need to have the confidence, skills and know-how to create, shape and manage new markets for service provision that did not exist in the past. This is bringing commissioners closer to the communities they serve, working in ways that involve co-design and co-production with service users and providers.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what affordable housing has been built in each of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: Statistics on newly built affordable housing, taken from the National Statistics on affordable housing supply in England, are published in live table 1009 on the Department for Communities and Local Government's website, which is available from the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply

Council Tax Benefits

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on the costs they will incur if they have to carry out new consultations on council tax benefit schemes; and whether it is his policy that new consultations will be treated as new burdens and attract Government funding.

Brandon Lewis: Ministers within the Department for Communities and Local Government regularly meet colleagues from the local government sector to discuss a range of matters.
	Whether or not further consultation is required by authorities who wish to apply for the transitional grant is a decision for individual local authorities. Each local authority will have to make a judgment, taking into account the scope of its own initial consultation, the scale of any changes that are required and whether these require further consultation. Nothing prevents a local authority undertaking such public engagement as part of any wider consultation on its draft budget.
	For this reason, and because this is a voluntary scheme offering additional funding, Government do not consider this a new burden, and do not intend to make available additional new burdens funding for this purpose, above the £100 million it has already made available for this scheme.

Family Intervention Projects

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the change in spending on family intervention programmes in each local authority area since May 2010.

Brandon Lewis: The Government do not require local authorities to report expenditure on family intervention projects or comparable services.
	By June 2012, all upper-tier local authorities in England had signed up to the Troubled Families programme, committing to turn around an agreed number of families in their area. The Government will contribute up to £4,000 per family towards the cost of successfully intervening with eligible families across England.
	The Government are not instructing local authorities to do this work in a particular way, but it expects there to be an increase in the use of family intervention work, which has been shown to deliver results

Members: Correspondence

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to an email about a licensed developer scheme for local planning proposals from the hon. Member's constituent, when his Department will respond to the letters from the hon. Member for Hastings and Rye of (a) 15 August 2012 (Ref: AR/EQ/1221), (b) 19 September 2012 (Ref: AR/EQ/1506) and (c) 6 November 2012 (Ref: AR/LS/4595).

Nicholas Boles: I replied to my hon. Friend on 14 November.

Right to Buy Scheme

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people have taken advantage of the right to buy scheme in each of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: Figures for right to buy sales for the last five financial years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Local authority right to buy sales Registered provider right to buy and preserved right to buy sales Total right to buy and preserved right to buy sales 
			 2011-12 2,610 1,110 3,720 
			 2010-11 2,730 960 3,690 
			 2009-10 2,370 800 3,170 
			 2008-09 2,880 1,000 3,870 
			 2007-08 11,960 3,150 15,110 
			 Source: Social Housing Sales, England, 2011-12 
		
	
	Right to buy discounts were increased in April 2012, and we are taking steps to inform local tenants of the reinvigorated right to buy.

Right to Buy Scheme: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in the London borough of Havering have taken advantage of the right-to-buy scheme in each of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: Figures for right-to-buy sales for the last five financial years are as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Right-to-buy sales (London borough of Havering) 
			 2011-12 5 
			 2010-11 (1)— 
			 2009-10 13 
			 2008-09 12 
			 2007-08 52 
			 (1) Not currently available. Source: Social Housing Sales, England, 2011-12 
		
	
	Right-to-buy discounts were increased in April 2012, and we are taking steps to inform local tenants of the reinvigorated right-to-buy.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC Trust

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions she, her Ministers and her officials had with Lord Patten, Chairman of the BBC Trust, between 1 October 2012 and 12 November 2012.

Maria Miller: holding answer 19 November 2012
	I have spoken to Lord Patten on a number of occasions in the last month. We have discussed a range of issues in relation to the three strands of inquiry which the BBC have initiated into Savile and related matters (the Pollard Review into Newsnight, the Smith Review into child protection issues and Dinah Rose QCs oversight of an internal review into sexual harassment) as well as the latest MacQuarrie investigation into inaccurate allegations on Newsnight, and he informed me of the resignation of the Director General. While these issues are clearly a matter for the BBC Trust to manage, through our conversations Lord Patten has kept me up-to-date with the latest developments and has answered my questions regarding the thoroughness and transparency of these investigations. Officials have also liaised with officials of the BBC Trust on a number of occasions, both on matters relating to the inquiries under way at the BBC into Savile and Newsnight and on routine issues.

Broadband

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when she expects to receive state aid clearance from the European Commission for her Department's local broadband projects.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 10 September 2012
	The European Commission confirmed approval of the UK umbrella support scheme for investments in next generation access (NGA) broadband networks on 20 November 2012. The UK National Competence Centre (NCC) will, with immediate effect, be able to assist local authorities in designing and implementing successful broadband support measures in line with EU competition rules.

Broadband

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport with reference to her Department's press notice of 21 February 2012, whether she has contingency funds available if funding is insufficient to compensate everyone whose television reception is affected by the launch of 4G.

Edward Vaizey: As set out in my letter to the chief executive of Ofcom, published on 10 July 2012, the Government is confident that £180 million will be sufficient for the foreseeable tasks to address interference from 4G mobile services to digital terrestrial television reception to be undertaken. This sum includes a significant contingency which, if not used, will be returned to the mobile network operators when the scheme closes.

Broadband

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when she plans to publish full details of compensation schemes for those who have had their television reception interrupted as a result of the launch of the 4G service.

Edward Vaizey: The Government have made clear that the new 800MHz licensees will be required to take steps to mitigate interference so that viewers do not lose access to television services.

Broadband

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of when people whose television reception is interrupted due to the launch of the 4G service can expect to have service fully restored.

Edward Vaizey: The Government have made clear that it requires the new 800 MHz licensees to take steps to mitigate interference for those households which are likely to be affected by the roll-out of 4G in the 800 MHz band, who rely on digital terrestrial television for their primary viewing.
	The licensees will deliver assistance through a jointly funded, owned and operated company, Digital Mobile Spectrum Ltd, a body the current Mobile Network Operators have established for this purpose.

National Lottery: Olympic Games 2012

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the total contribution was to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games from the (a) Big Lottery Fund and (b) National Lottery Distribution Fund.

Hugh Robertson: £1.085 billion was transferred from the National Lottery Distribution Fund to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, of which the contribution in respect of the Big Lottery Fund was £638 million.

National Lottery: Sports

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what total Lottery funding was for each type of sport in each year since 2000.

Hugh Robertson: The information the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) hold on Lottery funding for sport is not broken down by type of sport. The DCMS Lottery Grants Database—searchable at:
	www.lottery.culture.gov.uk
	—uses information on Lottery grants supplied by the sport Lottery distributors, as well as the grants made by the Big Lottery Fund and its predecessor bodies to a wide range of community and grassroots sports projects.

Olympic Lottery

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what information her Department holds on how much has been raised from dedicated London 2012 Olympic Lottery games in each year since their introduction.

Hugh Robertson: Dedicated Olympic Lottery games raised the following annual amounts for the London Olympics:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2005-06 16.486 
			 2006-07 113.323 
			 2007-08 147.320 
			 2008-09 135.397 
			 2009-10 86.458 
			 2010-11 106.849 
			 2011-12 (1)136.028 
			 Total 741.861 
			 (1) Unaudited. 
		
	
	The target of £750 million has since been reached, though a final total will not be known until later in the year. Any excess in the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund will be returned to the National Lottery Distribution Fund for distribution to the non-Olympic good causes in due course.

Sports: Kent

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much her Department has spent on each sport in (a) Gillingham and Rainham constituency and (b) Medway since 2005; and how much has been spent on each such sport in each such area through Lottery funding.

Hugh Robertson: This information is not held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in the manner requested.
	DCMS provides grant in aid funding to public bodies that help deliver our strategic aims and objectives for sport. The grant in aid allocated to the Department's sporting bodies since 2005, can be found in the Department's annual reports, and more recently, in funding allocation letters, which can be found at the following links:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/about_us/our_annual_report/1052.aspx
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2010_11.pdf
	and
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/9020.aspx
	The information we hold on lottery funding for sport in the Gillingham and Rainham constituency and in Medway, is not broken down by type of sport. The DCMS lottery grants database, searchable by constituency and local authority, at:
	www.lottery.culture.gov.uk
	uses information on lottery grants supplied by the sport lottery distributors, as well as the grants made by the Big Lottery Fund and its predecessor bodies to a wide range of community and grassroots sports projects.
	Sport England also publishes details of the exchequer and lottery funding that they have allocated to grassroots sport, since 2007, by constituency and local authority on its website, at the following link:
	http://www.sportengland.org/funding/local_spending_data.aspx
	UK Sport is responsible for investing exchequer and lottery funds in Britain's best Olympic and Paralympic sports and athletes, this is not region specific.
	Between 2004 and 2010, exchequer funding was provided by DCMS towards School Sports Partnerships, which was distributed by the Department for Education (then Department for Children, Schools and Families).

Staff

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last 12 months.

Hugh Robertson: The information is as follows:
	(a) It is not currently possible to disaggregate recruitment fees from those paid to recruitment agencies for members of agency staff within the Department. Total fees paid to recruitment agencies during the past 12 months are as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Total Of which: BDUK Total less BDUK 
			 October 2011 41,599 0 41,599 
			 November 2011 99,266 49,525 49,741 
			 December 2011 50,215 0 50,215 
			 January 2012 37,261 0 37,261 
			 February 2012 79,385 0 79,385 
			 March 2012 81,760 0 81,760 
			 April 2012 23,552 0 23,552 
			 May 2012 137,603 62,361 75,242 
			 June 2012 292,958 236,985 55,973 
			 July 2012 110,262 47,439 62,823 
			 August 2012 -5,120 -76,614 71,494 
			 September 2012 100,470 9,266 91,204 
			 Total 1,049,211 328,962 720,249 
		
	
	(b) No fees were incurred for outplacement agency usage in the last 12 months. This Department operates a contract whereby costs are frontloaded to ensure that our employees are able to access outplacement services as and when needed. In 2010, we paid £52,000 for outplacement services, covering all costs incurred between 2010 and 2012. In the last 12 months, 90 people accessed these services.
	(c) Staff training costs during the past 12 months are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 October 2011 26,920 
			 November 2011 34,105 
			 December 2011 14,559 
			 January 2012 27,622 
			 February 2012 63,098 
			 March 2012 94,783 
		
	
	
		
			 April 2012 59,723 
			 May 2012 *-34,903 
			 June 2012 7,437 
			 July 2012 10,734 
			 August 2012 10,591 
			 September 2012 4,174 
			 * The negative spend figure in May 2012, is an adjustment to previous months in which pre-payments were made for block bookings of training events which fell in the next financial year.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people have served on tours of duty of longer than six months in Afghanistan; and what the (a) tour dates, (b) rank, (c) regiment and (d) reasons for the length of tour was. [Official Report, 8 January 2013, Vol. 556, c. 1MC.]

Andrew Murrison: holding answer 19 November 2012
	The Ministry of Defence does not hold this information centrally in the form requested, and in the interests of anonymity we do not release information of individual tours.
	The MOD is able to confirm that at present around 110 posts out of 9,500 in Afghanistan are subject to tour lengths of longer than six months to provide continuity to the campaign. These posts are broken down as shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Army ranks (or equivalent) represented Length of continuity posting (months) Number of personnel (to the nearest 10) 
			 Staff Sergeant 8 10 
			 Warrant Officer Class 2   
			 Warrant Officer Class 1   
			 Captain   
			 Major   
			 Lieutenant Colonel   
			    
			 Captain 9 20 
			 Major   
			 Lieutenant Colonel   
			    
			 Staff Sergeant Major 12 50 
			 Lieutenant Colonel   
			 Colonel   
			 Brigadier   
			 Major General   
			 Lieutenant General   
			    
			 Major 18 <10 
			    
			 Private 24 20 
			 Lance Corporal   
			 Corporal   
			 Sergeant   
			 Major   
		
	
	
		
			 Lieutenant Colonel   
			 Colonel   
			 Major General

Afghanistan

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the involvement has been of UK military personnel in the villages of (a) Al Aqaba and (b) Khirbet Tana in Afghanistan.

Andrew Murrison: holding answer 20 November 2012
	I assume the hon. Member is referring to Israel and the Occupied Territories. We have no record of deploying UK military personnel to either Al Aqaba or Khirbet Tana.

Armed Forces: Allowances

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will review the disturbance allowance to ensure that extra costs for overseas moves are adequately reflected.

Mark Francois: Disturbance allowance will be reviewed as part of the New Employment Model programme.

Armed Forces: Children

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the timeliness of nursery education payments for Army personnel.

Mark Francois: Isolated detachment nursery allowance is paid to service communities, small stations and isolated detachments overseas where service children's education facilities are not available for three and four-year-old children. This forms an important part of the support given to our service personnel at these overseas posts.
	I am not aware of any delays in making these routine payments to our families where entitled.

Armed Forces: Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he plans to take to improve provision of educational programmes for members of the armed forces.

Mark Francois: Under the Defence systems approach to training quality standards, all training and education is subject to continuous improvement through evaluation and review in order to ensure that it remains current and relevant. This process ensures that educational programmes for members of the armed forces are updated or improved as necessary.

Armed Forces: Officers

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to improve retention of highly experienced officers in the armed forces.

Mark Francois: All members of the armed forces continue to receive an attractive package of terms and conditions of service, and targeted incentives are employed as a means of tackling shortages in particular areas. We do not, however, consider that there is a specific issue to be addressed regarding the retention of highly experienced officers.
	The Ministry of Defence does, however, recognise that the current employment model for service personnel has not changed much in the last 40 years and requires improvement to better meet the needs of today's modern armed forces. The New Employment Model programme has been established to redesign existing employment arrangements for service personnel, and aims to promote greater stability in service life balanced against the requirement to deliver operational capability. It will be designed to meet the expectations of a generation that has yet to join, but it must be delivered in a way that continues to support and motivate existing personnel. It is anticipated that a period of consultation with service personnel will commence in summer 2013.

Armed Forces: Officers

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers left the armed forces before retirement age in each of the last five years.

Mark Francois: The information is not held in the format requested. The armed forces retirement age varies according to the terms of service for the individual's branch or trade, their length of commission or engagement and operational requirements. In the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, the usual age for termination of service is 55, but the retirement age may be extended subject to the demands of the service.
	The Ministry of Defence does, however, regularly publish information relating to outflow of personnel from the Department, including specific statistics about outflow of officers. This information is available in the public domain in the National Statistics Publications section of the
	www.dasa.mod.uk
	website in tables 7 and 8 of ‘TSP 19—UK Regular Forces Intake and Outflow by Age’, Table 7a of the ‘UK Armed Forces—Quarterly Personnel Report’, Table 8 (on page 13) of the ‘UK Armed Forces—Annual Manning Report’ and Table 8 (on page 14) of the ‘UK Armed Forces—Annual Personnel Report’.

Canada

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on the adequacy of the overseas living allowance for Army families living in Canada.

Mark Francois: There have been no specific representations made recently to the Ministry of Defence regarding local overseas allowance (LOA) in Canada. The LOA rate is reviewed annually.
	In addition, as part of the New Employment Model programme, consideration will be given to the future needs of service personnel and their families, including any specific needs of personnel assigned overseas.

Employment Agencies

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the use of offshore employment companies in the supply of public sector workers in his Department and its associated public bodies.

Mark Francois: A new framework agreement covering the use of temporary labour by all Government Departments, is currently under consideration.

Libya

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions UK personnel flew armed remotely-piloted air system missions during Operation Ellamy.

Andrew Murrison: During Operation Ellamy last year, UK personnel embedded with United States forces contributed to around 200 armed remotely piloted air system missions as part of the NATO mission in support of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.

Maritime Surveillance

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how he intends to provide maritime surveillance capability.

Philip Dunne: holding answer 20 November 2012
	The UK's maritime surveillance capabilities are delivered by a wide range of platforms and assets, including ships, submarines, aircraft and space and sea-bed based capabilities, and every Royal Navy vessel at sea carries out maritime surveillance routinely and continually.

Military Alliances

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his American and French counterparts on co-operation on (a) training and (b) weapons.

Andrew Murrison: The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), is in regular communication with his American and French counterparts on a broad range of defence issues.

Military Bases: Recycling

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the value of savings achieved through recycling at British Army Training Unit Suffield.

Mark Francois: The Army has recently joined the Canadian Armed Forces' recycling contract at British Army Training Unit Suffield and expects to save £950,000 per year as a result. By continuing to work with the Canadians, other potential recycling opportunities are being identified, which may produce further savings in the future.

Navy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what non-military uses are made of data collected by Royal Navy survey vessels.

Andrew Murrison: The Royal Navy survey vessels are primarily involved in military data gathering in support of the Defence Hydrographic programme. Wherever possible Royal Navy survey assets, within limitations of programming, support the Civil Hydrographic programme, the National Hydrographic programme and assist in meeting the obligations imposed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and Safety of Life at Sea.
	Further examples include the support of the Royal Navy Ice Patrol Ship to the British Antarctic survey, the Meteorological Office, and the collection of side scan sonar and bathymetric data in UK waters for the British Geological survey.

Sick Leave

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how many and what proportion of days, on average, staff of his Department at each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last five years.

Mark Francois: The information requested is shown in the following table. Grade equivalent rates, used in Cabinet Office absence reporting, include non-industrial, industrial and trading fund personnel, but exclude Royal Fleet Auxiliary and locally engaged civilians for whom sickness absence data is not readily available.
	
		
			 Grade (equivalent)  1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 
			 AA Total number of days worked(1) 2,549,450 2,279,750 2,187,280 2,093,030 1,786,700 
			  Total number of days lost 138,840 116,840 115,620 103,780 92,850 
			  Proportion of days lost (percentage) 5.45 5.12 5.29 4.96 5.20 
			        
			 AO Total number of days worked(1) 6,213,020 5,911,770 5,821,540 5,581,000 5,111,180 
			  Total number of days lost 277,480 255,700 253,890 232,630 217,850 
			  Proportion of days lost (percentage) 4.47 4.33 4.36 4.17 4.26 
			        
			 EO Total number of days worked(1) 3,040,950 3,050,110 2,882,890 2,690,590 2,596,500 
			  Total number of days lost 105,560 104,290 101,120 91,620 88,970 
			  Proportion of days lost (percentage) 3.47 3.42 3.51 3.41 3.43 
			        
			 HEO Total number of days worked(1) 2,503,210 2,607,200 2,584,840 2,541,890 2,489,830 
			  Total number of days lost 64,950 64,240 64,730 68,970 65,740 
			  Proportion of days lost (percentage) 2.59 2.46 2.50 2.71 2.64 
			        
			 SEO Total number of days worked(1) 1,513,640 1,705,880 1,643,840 1,576,440 1,554,890 
			  Total number of days lost 31,700 35,890 36,350 32,070 33,640 
			  Proportion of days lost (percentage) 2.09 2.10 2.21 2.03 2.16 
			        
			 G7 Total number of days worked(1) 471,680 670,360 654,870 626,390 607,160 
			  Total number of days lost 7,240 9,810 10,670 10,490 9,920 
			  Proportion of Days Lost 1.54 1.46 1.63 1.67 1.63 
			        
			 G6 Total number of days worked(1) 162,500 189,110 182,640 173,560 173,260 
			  Total number of days lost 1,930 2,070 2,560 1,970 2,170 
			  Proportion of days lost (percentage) 1.19 1.09 1.40 1.14 1.25 
			        
		
	
	
		
			 SCS Total number of days worked(1) 67,520 71,900 71,660 68,270 63,070 
			  Total number of days lost 670 660 580 610 400 
			  Proportion of days lost (percentage) 0.99 0.92 0.81 0.90 0.64 
			 (1) Data presented reflects the current Cabinet Office definition, setting a maximum absence of 225 days per person, and excludes data for weekends, annual leave and bank holidays. Excludes personnel on zero pay. Source: DASA (Civilian)

Trident

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff were (a) employed and (b) consulted on the production of the 2006 White Paper entitled The Future of the UK Independent Nuclear Deterrent.

Andrew Murrison: The 2006 White Paper entitled The Future of the UK Independent Nuclear Deterrent (Cm 6994) was produced by the Deterrent Options Policy Group, which consisted of around 10 people. This group consulted widely within the Ministry of Defence, other Government Departments and the wider stakeholder community.

Type 45 Destroyers

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the unit production cost of the Type-45 frigate is.

Philip Dunne: holding answer 20 November 2012
	The Type-45 destroyer unit production cost is £651 million, as reported in the National Audit Office Major Projects Report for 2011.

Veterans: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to address the needs of ex-service personnel in Northern Ireland affected by post traumatic stress disorder.

Mark Francois: The healthcare of our former service personnel is a matter that this Government continues to take very seriously. The provision of healthcare in Northern Ireland is a devolved issue and matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. Mental health and the extension of services, including psychological therapy for all citizens, is a Northern Ireland Executive priority. However, in recognition of their special circumstances, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) funds the provision of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) and the Royal Irish Regiment Home Service (R Irish (HS)) After Care Service which provides medical, vocational, welfare and benevolence support to former UDR and R Irish (HS) soldiers and their families.
	The MOD also offers a thorough mental health assessment to ex-service personnel deployed on operations since 1982, including those living in Northern Ireland, who may be concerned that they have a mental health problem related to their military service. This is provided through the Veterans and Reserves Mental Health Programme (previously the Medical Assessment Programme). The MOD Service Personnel and Veterans Agency and Veterans Welfare Service are also able to provide support and assistance to ex-service personnel residing in Northern Ireland.

World War II: Anniversaries

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic in 2013.

Mark Francois: The Government is considering a number of commemorative events for both world war one and world war two.
	The Ministry of Defence is considering several requests to support civil society-led commemorations of the Battle of the Atlantic and discussions are ongoing.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Elections

David Hanson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require all who stand for election to Parliament, the devolved assemblies, police and crime commissioner posts and local authorities as independent candidates to declare any political party membership that they hold at the time of nomination.

Chloe Smith: The Government has no plans to require those wishing to stand as independent candidates to disclose any political party membership they might hold at the time of nomination. It is for prospective candidates to decide whether they wish to stand independently or on behalf of a registered political party.

Trident

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what contact members of the armed forces in the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force have had with the Cabinet Office team responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review through (i) meetings and (ii) correspondence including emails; and what the rank was of each such member of the armed forces in each such category.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply 
	as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
	To date, the Cabinet Office team has sought advice from a range of specialists within all three services of the armed forces up to Rear Admiral/Major General/Air Vice Marshal.
	A detailed breakdown of meetings and correspondence between the armed forces and the Cabinet Office Team, including the ranks of those who have been involved, is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

EDUCATION

Children in Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to publish his proposals for reducing the number of children in care placed out of area in residential homes.

Edward Timpson: The Out of Area Placements Task and Finish Group has been considering how to ensure that there is much better scrutiny, planning and assessment of needs and risks before decisions are taken to place a child at a distance. It has also been discussing how to improve arrangements, and the quality of care and support, for looked after children who are placed ‘out of area’ by their local authorities. Chaired by the Department, the group has comprised senior expert representation from children's services, local authorities, providers, Ofsted and others. The Task and Finish Group has met frequently since July.
	This Task and Finish Group is working in parallel with two other expert groups established to take forward work on the reform of children's residential care: a group focusing on improving data about looked after children who go missing from care, and a further group with a broad remit to consider how to improve the overall quality of children's residential provision.
	We are considering the Task and Finish group's proposals, alongside those made by the other expert groups, and will announce the action we intend to take in due course.

Children: Corporal Punishment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2012, Official Report, column 688W, on children: corporal punishment, when he expects to (a) complete his consideration of Sir Roger Singleton's report and (b) bring forward proposals.

Edward Timpson: The Government is considering the recommendations made in Sir Roger Singleton's report. All supplementary schools and alternative care and learning settings must abide by child protection and safeguarding laws. The Government also continues to encourage parenting programmes which promote the use of alternative forms of discipline rather than physical punishment. Research in England and Wales shows that fewer parents now choose to use physical punishment and more parents are using alternative approaches to discipline.
	There are no existing commitments to bring forward new proposals related to Sir Roger Singleton's report but we will continue to consider whether that would be appropriate.

Dyslexia: Apprentices

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what support his Department provides to help young people with dyslexia apply for apprenticeships.

Matthew Hancock: The National Apprenticeship Service is responsible for delivery of the Apprenticeship programme including supporting all prospective applicants; it runs an online apprenticeship vacancies system and provides advice on applying for apprenticeships on the internet or by phone. The National Careers Service also has advisers who can help with applications.
	Peter Little’s report, “Creating an inclusive apprenticeship offer” found that in 2010/11 12,100 apprentices reported that they had dyslexia. This number has increased each year from 4,400 in 2005/6. Mr Little made a number of recommendations to help improve the accessibility of apprenticeships. The Government's response has now been published in the form of an action plan and includes a number of measures to support learners with LDD in preparing for and applying for apprenticeships–for example: work with providers and employers to promote positive statements in relation to the recruitment of apprentices with learning difficulties or disabilities and roll out the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) two ticks scheme which indicates that the employer is positive about employing disabled people.

Special Educational Needs

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will ensure that Parliament has an opportunity to examine the value for money and outcomes achieved by the special educational needs direct payments pilot schemes before consideration of the Children and Families Bill.

Edward Timpson: The implementation of the SEN (Direct Payments) (Pilot Scheme) Order 2012, including requirements in the order for local authorities to consider the efficient use of public funds, is subject to a discrete evaluation as part of the ongoing wider evaluation of the SEND Green Paper pathfinder programme.
	The evaluation is focusing on the development processes and challenges involved in setting up direct payments for special educational provision and, in doing so, is seeking to provide evidence in relation to:
	The level of demand from families for SEN Direct Payments;
	The practicalities of introducing SEN Direct Payments; and
	The implications for wider provision.
	In addition, the full evaluation is, among other issues, seeking to establish whether the pathfinders demonstrate value for money, by looking at the cost of our reform programme and associated benefits.
	To date, the Department for Education has published two quarterly reports and most recently, on 18 October 2012, an interim evaluation report. All are available on the Department's website and were sent to the Education Select Committee as part of the process of pre-legislative scrutiny:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/research/researchpublications
	The final evaluation report will be published in the summer of 2013 and, as such, will be available to help Parliament in its considerations of our reforms.

Special Educational Needs

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2012, Official Report, column 205W, on special educational needs, for what reasons each of the publications listed was removed from his Department's website; and what additional training materials relating to special educational needs have been commissioned or accredited by his Department and published on its website since May 2010.

Edward Timpson: Each of these publications was archived as part of a move away from bureaucratic, central prescription of how children should be taught. The intention is to give greater control to teachers and enable them to use their professional judgement.
	The Department for Education and the Teaching Agency are working with specialist organisations (such as the Dyslexia-SpLD Trust, Autism Education Trust and Communications Trust) to make sure that those materials that professionals and families find most useful remain available.
	As noted in the previous response, there are two sets of additional training materials that have been developed since May 2010 and remain available on the Department's website.
	The first set was commissioned by the Teaching Agency in response to recommendations made in the Salt Review in 2010. These materials have been developed for use by any audience with an interest in the teaching of children and young people with severe learning difficulties (SLD); profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) and/or complex learning difficulties and disabilities (CLDD). They can be used by anyone with an interest in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
	There is also a set of advanced-level training materials for teachers working with children with the most common forms of SEN: specific learning difficulties (including dyslexia and dyscalculia); autism; behavioural, emotional and social difficulties; as well as speech; language and communication needs. These were commissioned following the Lamb enquiry which highlighted the importance of teachers acquiring advanced skills around the five main SEND areas.

Young People: Departmental Coordination

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to mark the first anniversary of Positive for Youth.

Edward Timpson: Officials are currently working on plans for marking the one year anniversary of the publication of Positive for Youth, including the publication of information and data showing progress that has been made in the sector since December 2011 and events to highlight innovations that have taken place. I will be releasing more details shortly.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Fuel Poverty

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the number of people in fuel poverty in the UK.

Gregory Barker: Fuel poverty is measured at a household rather than individual level. In 2010, the latest year for which data are available, an estimated 4.75 million households in the UK were in fuel poverty. This represented approximately 19% of all UK households.

Fuel Poverty: Devon

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households were in fuel poverty in (a) Plymouth, (b) Devon and (c) Torbay in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) the latest period for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: In 2010, the latest year for which data is available, the number of households in the county of Devon estimated to be in fuel poverty was 81,100 (17%). In the local authorities of Plymouth and Torbay, it was 15,000 (14%) and 9,800 (16%) respectively.

Offshore Industry

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues in the Department for Transport on the Air Accident Investigation Branch's initial report into the causes of the emergency ditching of a Super Puma EC225 in the North Sea on 22 October 2012; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: DECC Ministers meet regularly with Ministers in BIS to discuss a range of issues. As has been the case with successive administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Renewable Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer from the Prime Minister of 31 October 2012, Official Report, column 229, on investment in renewable energy, how much investment there has been in renewable energy in each of the last 13 years.

John Hayes: We do not hold details of investment in renewable energy on an annual basis for each of the past 13 years. However the official departmental electricity capacity data as published in Dukes(1) shows the annual renewable electricity capacity. The UK is on track to double its renewable electricity capacity from 8GW at the end of 2009, to 16GW(2) by the end of 2012.
	(1)( )Source:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/energy_stats/source/renewables/renewables.aspx
	(2) DECC internal analysis

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Ash Dieback Disease

Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date his Department was notified about the discovery of Chalara fraxinea in the UK; for what reasons the plant health order was not put into place until 29 October 2012; and what steps his Department is taking to prevent the contamination of UK seedlings.

David Heath: “Chalara fraxinea” was first confirmed in the UK on 7 March 2012, following investigation on 20 February 2012 of suspect symptoms during a routine inspection at a nursery in Buckinghamshire by the Food and Environment Research Agency's Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate. At this stage there was no reason to consider that this was other than a single finding, given there was no history of the disease in the UK nor in traded plants. Following further findings, in planted sites, a Pest Risk Analysis was undertaken and then a consultation launched to establish the scale of the problem and, given the previous scarcity of information about the trade in ash plants, to obtain the views of those in the forestry and horticultural industries before we took any final decisions. This was done outside of the planting season and finished well before the planting season was due to begin. The consultation closed on 26 October. The Government acted once it became clear restrictions on ash imports were necessary and supported by those involved in the industry. We needed to assess the situation and consider the impact before seeking approval for legislation which came into force on 29 October and followed a voluntary moratorium by the industry.
	The Government recently brought together scientists, campaigners, charitable groups and woodland agencies to discuss what action should be taken to address the disease. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set out an immediate plan of action that was agreed on 9 November at the COBR meeting. Over the coming weeks the Government will work with scientific experts and other interested groups to develop further and implement the measures in the plan, and to set a longer term approach to tackling “Chalara fraxinea”. With regard specifically to young trees, newly-planted diseased trees and diseased trees in nurseries will be traced and destroyed, as once young trees are infected they succumb quickly.

Birds of Prey

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many breeding pairs of hen harriers there are nesting in each constituent part of the UK.

Richard Benyon: According to the most recent national hen harrier survey in 2010, it is estimated that there are a total of 633 territorial pairs of hen harriers in the UK. In each constituent part of the UK the estimates are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 England 12 
			 Northern Ireland 59 
		
	
	
		
			 Scotland 505 
			 Wales 57

Birds of Prey

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are in place, and what steps his Department is taking, to protect the hen harrier.

Richard Benyon: All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is an offence to kill or injure any wild bird; take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while that nest is in use or being built; and take or destroy an egg of any wild bird. Some birds are further protected by their listing on Schedule 1 to the Act; it is also an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb them while they are building a nest, or are on, in, or near a nest containing eggs or their young. Hen harriers are listed in Schedule 1.
	In addition to this strict legal protection, a number of measures are being taken. Raptor persecution is one of the six wildlife crime priorities for the UK with the hen harrier being one of six species highlighted for particular attention. DEFRA is involved with the Environment Council-facilitated Hen Harrier Dialogue Working Group and recently DEFRA officials have established a Hen Harrier Sub-Group (part of the Uplands Stakeholder Forum) where work with stakeholders is ongoing to consider which actions will best assist to secure the future of the hen harrier in England by reversing the decline in the population.

Birds of Prey

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions there have been of offences relating to the killing of hen harriers in the last five years.

Richard Benyon: The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not all the specific circumstances of each case. It is not possible to separately identify from this centrally held information the number of prosecutions for offences relating to the killing of wild birds which related specifically to the killing of hen harriers.

Common Agricultural Policy

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether he has assessed the potential effect on (a) each agricultural sector, (b) upland hill farm incomes and (c) agri-environment schemes of (i) any delay in agreement on the EU budget and (ii) the time taken to reform the common agricultural policy;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential impact on (a) farming in the UK and (b) reform of the common agricultural policy of any failure to agree an EU budget.

David Heath: If there is a significant delay in agreement to the EU budget for 2014-2020 there is the potential for it to have a knock-on effect to the common agricultural policy (CAP) post 2013. The European Commission's aim is to implement the reformed CAP by January 2014. However, this has always been a very ambitious target and the UK has consistently called for sufficient time to implement CAP reform successfully.
	On that basis the UK will continue to work proactively with the European Commission to make sure CAP implementation happens at the earliest appropriate date and to ensure that there are the necessary transition arrangements in place where they are needed. This means legislation which enables a smooth transition between programmes with minimal disruption so we can continue payments to all types of farming.

Common Agricultural Policy

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the number of farmers reliant on agri-environmental schemes for income; and what consideration he has given to measures to support their livelihoods in the event that a reformed common agricultural policy does not enter into force on 1 January 2014.

David Heath: As at 24 September there were 53,717 farmers in England's agri-environment schemes. EU rules require that payments under these agreements can cover only additional costs and income foregone resulting from the commitment made, including transaction costs. These payments contain no element of income support.
	The EU Commission and Council have an ambition to secure agreement on a new rural development regulation by the summer of 2013 in order to allow implementation of the new programme from 1 January 2014. However, it is likely that negotiations could last well into 2013 and therefore implementation may be delayed.
	DEFRA is working to prepare for a planned transition from the current Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) to a new programme (2014-20) to reduce the impact on the farming and forestry sectors as well as wider rural business and rural communities. DEFRA is keeping key stakeholders regularly informed regarding the transition to the next programming period.
	I will continue to work proactively with the European Commission to make sure CAP implementation happens at the earliest appropriate date and to ensure that there are the necessary arrangements in place to secure a smooth transition.

Common Agricultural Policy

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with Ministers in the devolved Administrations on any adverse effects arising from delays in agreement on the EU budget.

David Heath: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the right hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), and I work closely with the devolved Administrations. Our most recent meeting on 19 November addressed CAP reform and other issues. Our discussions will inform the joint UK negotiating position at Council in November and December.
	We all believe that the European Commission's aim to implement the reformed CAP by January 2014 is a very ambitious target, as the UK considers it does not allow enough time to implement the proposals fully. I will continue to work proactively with the European Commission to make sure CAP implementation happens at the earliest appropriate date and to ensure that there are the necessary transition arrangements in place where they are needed.

Eggs: Imports

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by what means the value of egg imports for each commodity product code is used to calculate the quantity of eggs imported.

David Heath: The value of egg imports is sourced from HM Revenue and Customs data.
	The value of egg imports is used to derive an estimate of the volume of imports. This is because the value data are generally considered to be of greater reliability than the volume data.
	For shell eggs, a constant coefficient is applied to the value of imports to estimate the volume of imports. This coefficient has been derived from historical analysis of relative values and volumes.
	For egg products, different coefficients are applied, depending on the product and therefore its estimated whole egg content. These are then used to derive whole egg equivalent volumes for egg products.

Eggs: Imports

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs by what means the value of egg imports by commodity product code is represented in his Department's quarterly egg import figures.

David Heath: The value of egg imports is not published in the quarterly egg statistics notice. However, the value of egg imports is used as the basis for calculating the volume of imports in the notice.
	The value of egg imports and exports is published on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/statistics/foodfarm/food/overseastrade/

Horses: Exports

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to improve the welfare arrangements for the export of horses for slaughter.

David Heath: The Government support the recommendation made by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that the maximum journey time for horses going to slaughter should be reduced from 24 hours to 12 hours. We will continue to press the Commission to introduce this change at the earliest possible opportunity.

Livestock: Exports

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that thorough animal health inspections are undertaken on livestock when loaded for export and upon arrival at port.

David Heath: The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) is responsible for implementation of the EU rules on the protection of animals during transport (Council Regulation (EC) 1/2005). AHVLA has recently increased the inspection rate of animals and vehicles at the point of loading to 100% and will remain at that level until the risks involved merit a more normal risk-based percentage of inspections.
	The checks undertaken by AHVLA inspectors at the point of loading include consignment details, transporter/driver details, journey details and a separate checklist of 33 questions on the suitability of the vehicle and the welfare of the animals being transported. Any non-compliances are recorded and the necessary action taken by AHVLA inspectors. A further check is made by AHVLA inspectors at the port to ensure nothing untoward has occurred during the transport from the point of loading.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Fiji

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the UK's relationship with Fiji.

Hugo Swire: The UK maintains full diplomatic relations with Fiji, often against a difficult backdrop following the 2006 military coup which led to Fiji's suspension from the Commonwealth.
	The UK-Fiji relationship is multi-faceted—there are around 2,500 Fijians in the British armed forces and we have active trade links, particularly around Fijian sugar. On the political front, while we continue to have concerns about the human rights situation and the lack of democratic elections, we are cautiously encouraged by a number of positive developments, including the launch of a Constitution Commission and electoral registration. I have therefore instructed my officials to intensify contacts over the next crucial months, co-ordinating closely with our international partners, in order to encourage the Fijian authorities to continue to take steps towards elections in 2014 and a possible return to democracy.

Fiji

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials of his Department are stationed in Fiji.

Hugo Swire: The UK has full diplomatic relations with the Republic of Fiji where there are approximately 20 staff currently working at our high commission in Suva. This includes UK based civil servants and staff employed locally.

Fiji

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to visit Fiji in the next 12 months.

Hugo Swire: There are currently no plans for the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), to visit Fiji in the next 12 months. However, I have instructed my officials to intensify contacts over the next crucial months, co-ordinating closely with our international partners, to encourage the Fijian authorities to continue to take steps towards elections scheduled for 2014.

Fiji

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to promote democracy and good governance in Fiji.

Hugo Swire: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) continues to urge Fiji to return to democracy. We regularly raise progress with the Fijian authorities and with the Fijian High Commissioner in London. The then Minister of State, the hon. Member for Taunton Deane (Mr Browne), underlined the importance of maintaining progress towards the scheduled democratic elections in Fiji when he met the Fijian President in August 2012.
	The FCO has provided political and material support to the Constitution Commission as they engage with the local Fijian population on the forming of a new Fijian Constitution, including contributing £49,000 to the NGO Conciliation Resources to help gather submissions from the Fijian people on the shape of the country's new Constitution. We also encourage our international partners to do likewise. We ensured the European Union included a specific focus on elections and human rights issues in Fiji in the EU-Pacific Island Development Partnership agreed in June 2012. With UK support, the EU has also undertaken to provide €1.3 million funding to support consultation on the new Constitution from the EU Instrument for Stability (IFS) fund.

Palestinians

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on recognising Palestine as a non-member observer state at the United Nations General Assembly on 29 November 2012.

Alistair Burt: The British Government is clear that a negotiated two-state solution is the best way to give the Palestinian people the state that they need and deserve, and the Israeli people the security and peace they are entitled to.
	This requires Israelis and Palestinians to return to negotiations. Israel to stop illegal settlement building, Palestinian factions to reconcile with each other and the international community led by the United States and supported by European nations to make a huge effort to push the peace process forward as a matter of urgency.
	While there is any chance of achieving a return to talks in the coming months, we continue to advise President Abbas against attempts to press for Palestinian observer state status at the United Nations through a vote in the UN General Assembly. We judge that this would make it harder to secure a return to negotiations, and could have very serious consequences for the Palestinian Authority.
	Our collective goal must be a two state solution based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps. Jerusalem as the capital of both states, and a just settlement for refugees. So while we support Palestinian aspirations and understand the pressures on President Abbas, we have urged him to lead the Palestinians into negotiations and not to risk paralysing the process. We have also urged Israel to make every effort to restart negotiations, before the window for a two-state solution closes altogether.

Pay

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many employees in his Department are paid in excess of (a) £80,000 and (b) £100,000.

Alistair Burt: Policy for the remuneration for all senior civil servants is set centrally by the Cabinet Office.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has a global network of over 270 diplomatic offices (including embassies, high commissions and consulates). The heads of these diplomatic offices help safeguard Britain's national security and build Britain's prosperity, as well as supporting British citizens overseas. As a result we have a high number of staff in these senior roles which command relatively high salaries.
	Approximately 97% of FCO employees receive a salary of less than £80,000. Of the remainder, 109 employees, of which 64 are based overseas, receive a salary of between £80,000 and £99,999; and 34 employees, of which 22 are based overseas, receive over £100,000. This is correct as at 31 October 2012.
	The FCO publishes salary data on all staff at senior civil service Grade 2 and above (minimum salary £82,900). This publication includes names and salaries in £5,000 bands. The latest version currently available is at 30 September 2011 published in November 2011:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/publications-and-documents/transparency-and-data1/fco-staff-salary/
	The 2012 publication is being prepared for publication and is expected to be released at the end of this month.
	The FCO also publishes salary data for all staff whose basic salary is greater than £150,000. The latest publication was in November 2012:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/senior-civil-servants-high-earners-salaries

Somalia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Somali counterpart on human rights in Somalia.

Mark Simmonds: The appointment of a new Government in Somalia on 13 November provides us with the opportunity to discuss a range of key issues with new interlocutors. Human rights will be a priority on this agenda. We will press the new Government on the urgent need to improve the human rights situation in Somalia and to tackle the significant concerns which have been raised by the UN and other organisations. One of the main problems is securing safe access; but we hope that recent security gains will promote stability and enable greater access to monitor and address human rights violations.
	I discussed President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's priorities for government—including security, justice and good governance—with him when I visited Mogadishu on 4 October. I stressed that the UK is committed to working with the Somali Government on these issues.
	The UK also welcomed the 24 September Human Rights Council resolution on Somalia and the recommendations of the Independent Expert, including calls for greater monitoring of violations. FCO officials are in close contact with the new Somali authorities and will be encouraging them to develop this approach.

Somaliland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the application of Somaliland for observer status in the Commonwealth of Nations.

Hugo Swire: While the UK acknowledges Somaliland's aspirations for independence, Somaliland is not recognised as an independent sovereign state. The only category of membership in the Commonwealth is that of a sovereign state as full member. In 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government endorsed the recommendation of the Commonwealth Committee on Membership not to establish observer status.

Somaliland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Somali counterpart on UK aid expenditure in Somaliland.

Justine Greening: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for International Development.
	Department for International Development (DFID) officials attended the High Level Aid Co-ordination Forum (HLACF) in Hargeisa, Somaliland on the 11 and 12 September 2012. This is a six-monthly forum attended by several Government of Somaliland Ministers and chaired by the United Nations Resident Co-ordinator for Somalia. The Government of Somaliland presented its mid-term review of aid effectiveness showing that the UK ranked first out of 11 other bilateral donors. DFID delivered a presentation on future plans for UK development assistance.

HEALTH

Cancer

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  with reference to his Department's document on the value for money addendum to the strategic outline case for the national proton beam therapy service development programme, what financial due diligence, aside from the informal costings conducted by University College London hospital, his Department has undertaken in relation to the projected capital costs of the proton beam equipment to be installed in (a) University College London Hospital and (b) the Christie NHS Foundation Trust;
	(2)  with reference to section 2 of his Department's document on the value for money addendum to the strategic outline case for the national proton beam therapy service development programme, whether the comparative conventional radiotherapy referred to includes intensity modulated radiation therapy, stereotactic ablative radiotherapy and radiosurgery;
	(3)  whether proton beam therapy programmes in Germany were included as part of any of the international evidence considered in the value for money addendum to the strategic outline case for the national proton beam therapy service development programme document.

Anna Soubry: The cost and benefits of the national health service acquiring two proton beam therapy (PBT) facilities hosted at University College London Hospital and Christie NHS Foundation Trust have been based on the best available international information and a market testing exercise. The approach taken has followed the Treasury guidance to mitigate financial risk while providing good value for money. The risk inherent in a project of this size and complexity has to be balanced against the loss of potential benefits to patients by not providing this treatment.
	The modelling to demonstrate the benefits of PBT used the best available alternatives currently offered as a comparator, including intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), if it was clinically indicated. PBT is fundamentally different to other forms of radiotherapy (including IMRT, stereotactic ablative radiotherapy and radiosurgery) in that the treatment beam can be focused deep within the body to an accuracy of less than one millimetre. This makes it particularly suitable for the treatment of tumours close to vital organs, especially in small children. The best expert evidence available has suggested that the benefit PBT will have over conventional radiotherapy for the tumour sites we have considered is unlikely to reduce, even with developments that are currently in the pipeline. Some countries, including Germany and Japan, have investigated using heavy ions as a form of radiotherapy. This approach uses PBT accelerator technology, but is still in the experimental stage. The NHS has not considered investing in this technology as the results are currently mixed. Benefits of heavy ion technology would be for a different group of patients.

Death

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the incidence of morbidity in people under the age of 65 was in each of the last 10 years.

Norman Lamb: The information is not held in the format requested. However, the following table shows the estimated prevalence of adults living in private households in England having at least one psychiatric condition(1).
	
		
			 Age range Adults meeting the criteria for, or screening positive for, one or more psychiatric condition(1, 2) 
			 16-24 32.3 
			 25-34 30.0 
			 35-44 22.9 
			 45-54 25.0 
			 55-64 18.7 
			 65-74 12.7 
			 75+ 10.5 
			 Percentage all 23.0 
		
	
	
		
			 (1) 'Psychiatric conditions' include the most common mental disorders (namely anxiety and depressive disorders) as well as: psychotic disorder; antisocial and borderline personality disorders; eating disorder; posttraumatic stress disorder; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; alcohol and drug dependency; and problem behaviours such as problem gambling and suicide attempts. These are defined according to different classification criteria and refer to a variety of different, reference periods, as detailed in the background information provided. Mixed anxiety and depressive disorder was defined following the exclusion of other common mental disorders. (2) Figures above were calculated by subtracting the prevalence of adults with no psychiatric condition from 100. Note: This table is an excerpt from Table 12.1 in Chapter 12 (Co-morbidity) of the APMS 2007 report: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/psychiatricmorbidity07 Source: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity (APMS) Survey 2007.

Dementia

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to review the usefulness of the cognitive assessment tools available to GPs to help them decide whether to refer a patient to a memory service.

Norman Lamb: Guidance on cognitive assessment tools to support the diagnosis of dementia will be published shortly.

Dementia

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with dementia (a) in total and (b) in each primary care trust area were offered planned admissions to acute hospitals for routine operations in the last year for which figures are available.

Norman Lamb: Information on how many people with dementia in each primary care trust area were offered planned admissions to acute hospitals for routine operations is not collected centrally.

Disclosure of Information

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what protection his Department provides to whistleblowers.

Daniel Poulter: The Department is committed to achieving the highest possible standards of service and ethical standards in public life.
	The Department's whistleblowing policy covers handling concerns raised by staff against any breach of the Civil Service Code and concerns raised with the Department about external organisations or individuals involved in the conduct of our business.
	A copy of the Department's most recent whistleblowing policy document: ‘Whistleblowing Policy and Process’ (Published: May 2009 Updated: September 2010), has already been placed in the Library.

Health Services: South West

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health of 7 November 2012, Official Report, column 250WH, on regional pay (NHS), when (a) officials and (b) Ministers in his Department were first made aware of the south-west consortium; and how they responded.

Daniel Poulter: Officials and Ministers in the Department first became aware of the South West Consortium when the Health Service Journal broke the story on 25 May 2012. Under reforms suggested by the previous Government, all employers, including those in the South West, have the freedom to determine the terms and conditions, including pay, of the staff they employ. The current Government supports the use of national terms and conditions for national health service staff. Agenda For Change must remain fit for purpose in the best intent of protecting NHS jobs and looking after patients.

Hip Replacements

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hip replacements were performed in England and Wales on people aged (a) 20 to 30, (b) 31 to 40 and (c) over 50 years old in the last five years.

Anna Soubry: The information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Finished consultant episodes with a main or. secondary operative procedure of hip replacement by age groups 20 to 30, 31 to 40 and over 50 for the years 2007-08 to 2011-12. Activity in English NHS hospitals and English commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  Age groups 
			  20 to 30 31 to 40 Over 50 
			 2007-08 324 994 86,831 
			 2008-09 331 921 90,076 
			 2009-10 371 912 90,544 
			 2010-11 363 1,003 95,492 
			 2011-12 392 1,069 99,120 
			 Note: A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Obesity

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS has spent on purchasing ambulance stretchers for obese patients in each of the last five years; and how much the NHS has spent on (a) purchasing specialist equipment in hospital wards for obese patients, (b) making adjustments to ambulance vehicles and (c) buying new ambulances for obese patients in each year since 1997.

Daniel Poulter: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given on 2 July 2012, Official Report, column 524W.

Pancreatic Cancer

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to record statistics related to pancreatic cancer referral for suspected cancer and waiting times for treatment separately from other upper gastro-intestinal cancers.

Anna Soubry: The Department has no plans to identify separately patients with pancreatic cancer in the statistics on waiting times for suspected and diagnosed cancer patients.
	The publication of these statistics is managed in line with the United Kingdom Statistics Authority's Code of Practice for Official Statistics. An assessment of the quality of the data used to create these statistics and the risk of patient disclosure was carried out prior to finalising the current format. This assessment concluded that due to potential for error in clinical coding within the patient records and small numbers of patients in some areas there was a risk of misrepresentation or disclosure of patient identities if all tumour types were published separately.

Pancreatic Cancer

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce the number of times a patient with pancreatic cancer needs to see their GP before being diagnosed.

Anna Soubry: We are working to ensure that all patients with symptoms of suspected cancer, including pancreatic cancer, can be referred appropriately after seeing a general practitioner (GP). To achieve this we have provided more than £450 million over the spending review period to improve GP access to key diagnostic tests; support campaigns to raise public awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer and to encourage people to visit their GP when they have persistent symptoms; to support GPs in making decisions to refer; and to pay for more treatment and testing in secondary care.
	We know that some types of cancer can be difficult diagnose, often because their symptoms are shared with more common, benign conditions. In January, we are planning to pilot a general symptom awareness campaign that will be relevant to a range of cancers, including pancreatic cancer. The campaign will encourage people with relevant symptoms to go to their GP and we will be working with primary care in the pilot sites to agree appropriate referral pathways.

Pay

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees in his Department are paid in excess of (a) £80,000 and (b) £100,000.

Daniel Poulter: As at 16 November 2012, 98 civil servants in the Department have a salary in excess of £80,000. Of these, 38 have salaries in excess of £100,000.
	The data refers to the basic salary paid to civil servants and does not include allowances, bonuses or overtime payments. The data includes part time civil servants whose pro rata salary is in excess of £80,000.

Prescriptions

Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost of dispensing, excluding the cost of the drugs, by (a) pharmacies and (b) GP practices.

Norman Lamb: The funding agreement for 2011-12, for community pharmacies in England to provide essential and advanced services under the community pharmacy contractual framework (CPCF) totalled £2.526 billion. The CPCF and the funding agreement both recognise that pharmacy contractors are expected to provide a wider range of services than just dispensing and the agreement is delivered through a combination of fees and allowances and retained medicines margin.
	Identifiable dispensing funding provided to general practitioner (GP) practices in England in 2011-12 comprised £162.4 million of fees paid to GPs for dispensing and personally administering prescription items, and £5.3 million in respect of the Dispensing Services Quality Scheme for dispensing GPs.
	Both these answers exclude the cost of the drugs provided as part of dispensing services.

South London Healthcare NHS Trust

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the draft report of the Special Administrator to the South London Healthcare Trust published on 29 October 2012, what variables were included in the resource distribution formula used to calculate the projected funding allocations for clinical commissioning groups.

Daniel Poulter: The Trust Special Administrator's report to the South London Healthcare Trust is based on locally made assumptions for projected funding allocations for commissioning groups.
	The actual allocation of resources to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) is a matter for the NHS Commissioning Board. As set out in the mandate to the board, the Government expects the principle of ensuring equal access for equal need to be at the heart of the board's approach to allocating budgets.
	The methodology used to determine the 2013-14 CCG allocations will be announced by the board alongside the 2013-14 allocations by the end of the year.

South London Healthcare NHS Trust

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what budget his Department has provided for funding for staffing, consultancy, consultation and other costs for the South London Healthcare Trust Special Administrator in 2012-13.

Anna Soubry: Expenditure for this administration is expected to be small compared to the cost savings and service quality improvements that are expected to follow in the future. At the time the regime was enacted in July, the trust was spending around £l million per week more than it had. This means that vital resources are being diverted away from other parts of the national health service, the size of the financial challenge is significant. In 2011-12, the trust incurred the largest financial deficit across all NHS providers nationally, at over £65 million. Since its formation in 2009, the trust has generated a total financial deficit of £154 million and is forecast to have an accumulated deficit of £207 million by the end of March 2013.
	The budget the Department has identified for the Trust Special Administrator (TSA) to operate the regime for unsustainable NHS providers for South London Healthcare NHS Trust is £4 million.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum: Finance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applicants received support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: During the second quarter of 2012 there were 1,067 grants of support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. The total number receiving support under section 4 as at the end of second quarter of 2012 was 2,360.
	The number of grants of asylum support under section 4 and the total number supported under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 are published on a quarterly basis. Latest figures are available in Table as.18.q of the release 'Immigration Statistics, April to June 2012' which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q2-2012/

Asylum: North Korea

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applications were received from North Koreans in each year since 2008; and how many such applications were (a) granted and (b) refused.

Mark Harper: holding answer 13 November 2012
	The following table shows the number of asylum applications from North Koreans in each year since 2008, and of those, the number of grants and refusals.
	
		
			 North Korea: Asylum applications received, granted and refused 
			 Year of application Applications received from main applicants Granted asylum, HP or DL(1, 2) Refused asylum, HP or DL(1, 2) 
			 2008 184 59 95 
			 2009 35 3 24 
			 2010 35 6 27 
			 2011 20 1 15 
			 (1 )The year of outcome is not necessarily the same as the year of application. (2 )Excludes decisions outstanding. Key: HP = Humanitarian Protection DL = Discretionary Leave Note: These figures are based on the outcome analysis of asylum applications, as at May 2011. 
		
	
	The outcome analysis of asylum applications are published on an annual basis.
	Latest figures are available in Table as.06 of the release ‘Immigration Statistics, April to June 2012’ which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q2-2012/

Deportation: Democratic Republic of Congo

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has taken steps to monitor the treatment of failed asylum seekers who have been returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after they have passed through immigration control in the DRC.

Mark Harper: The UK Border Agency does not routinely monitor the treatment of failed asylum seekers who return to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They are, by definition, foreign nationals who have been found as a matter of law not to need the UK's protection and it would be inconsistent with that finding for the UK to assume an ongoing responsibility for them when they return to the DRC.

Entry Clearances

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2012, Official Report, column 989W, on embassies, which countries are processed through Manila; and how many applications were dealt with for each country in the last year for which figures are available.

Mark Harper: The countries processed through Manila and the number of applications dealt with for each country in the last year from July 2011 to June 2012 are listed in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
			 Australia 23,714 
			 Brunei 2,031 
			 China 14,913 
			 Japan 10,810 
			 Korea 7,994 
			 Malaysia 3,290 
			 New Zealand 5,714 
			 Philippines 35,679 
			 Singapore 10,576 
			 Taiwan (China) 4,248 
			 Exempt from biometrics 4,008 
			 Total 123,167

Entry Clearances

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visas for applicants for exceptional talent were issued in each of the last two years.

Mark Harper: The new tier 1 (Exceptional talent) category opened on 9 August 2011.
	The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			 Table be.04.q: Entry clearance visas issued by category: Tier 1 —Exceptional Talent 
			  2011 2012 
			  Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 
			 Main applicant n/a n/a 1 6 14 11 
			 Dependant n/a n/a 0 0 3 1 
			 Source: Table be.04.q, Immigration Statistics April—June 2012, Home Office 
		
	
	Highly skilled individuals who are eligible for other categories may also apply for those.
	Data relating to visas granted by category are published in table ‘be.04.q’ of the Home Office statistical release ‘Immigration Statistics’, available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q2-2012/

Human Trafficking

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the UK Border Agency has considered making data available on the number of known or suspected cases of human trafficking identified at UK borders.

Mark Harper: The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) holds responsibility for the central UK wide retention and collation of information in relation to trafficking and it currently makes some data available publicly.
	Potential victims of trafficking are referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), which is the UK's multi-agency framework to help to identify and support victims. A breakdown of UK Border Agency (UKBA) and Border Force referrals is published on the SOCA website. This currently cannot be split between UKBA and Border Force.

Human Trafficking

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of frontline UK Border Agency staff are trained to identify suspected cases of human trafficking.

Mark Harper: Two e-learning human trafficking training packages have been developed for UK Border Agency and Border Force staff. Both of these are mandatory for all frontline officers and help staff identify those who might have been trafficked and understand the steps that should be taken to safeguard possible victims.

Human Trafficking

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the role of the e-Borders programme in tackling human trafficking.

Mark Harper: The e-Borders programme is a fully operational system which is currently tracking around 55% of inbound and 60% of outbound passenger and crew movements; this equates to approximately 138 million passenger movements a year on over 4,200 routes, including all aviation routes starting outside the EEA.
	The e-Borders programme is enabling us to collect travel data from carriers about passengers intending to travel to or from the UK. Analysis of the data enables us to identify and target in advance those people known to pose a threat, including human traffickers.

Immigrants: Detainees

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were detained under the detained fast track process in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: holding answer 20 November 2012
	2,118 principal applicants were accepted onto the Fast Track process in 2011.
	The number of applicants accepted onto the fast track process is published on ah annual basis. The latest figures are available in Tables as.11 and as.12 of the release ‘Immigration Statistics, April to June 2012’ which is available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q2-2012/

Immigration Controls

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken to process a request to reconsider a decision made on an application for indefinite leave to remain was in each of the last five years.

Mark Harper: Where an individual is refused indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom a right of appeal is triggered. For this reason the UK Border Agency (UKBA) does not routinely reconsider cases. As reconsideration is not identified as a specific case type on UKBA databases, the requested statistical data are not available.

Immigration: Somalia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizens of Somalia have been (a) granted and (b) denied entry to the UK in each of the last five years.

Mark Harper: The following table provides the total number of Somali nationals given (a) leave to enter the UK and (b) initially refused entry to the UK from 2007 to 2011.
	
		
			 Passengers given leave to enter the United Kingdom and initially refused entry by nationality: Somalia 
			  Total admissions (Number of journeys) Total initial refusals at port 
			 2007 3,240 92 
			 2008 3,010 93 
			 2009 3,400 101 
			 2010 2,760 102 
			 2011 2,030 50 
			 Note: Statistics on passengers given leave to enter are rounded to the nearest 5 and may include the same individuals more than once if they visited the UK on multiple occasions in the period. Source: Tables ad.03 and be.08 'Immigration Statistics April to June 2012' 
		
	
	Data on passengers given leave to enter the UK and persons initially refused entry to the UK by nationality are published in tables 'ad.03' and 'be.08' respectively of the quarterly Home Office statistical release 'Immigration Statistics', available from the Library of the House and Home Office's Science, Research and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer the letter sent to the Minister of Immigration by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 2 October 2012 with regard to Mr Waqar Aziz.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member about this case on 16 November 2012.

National Wildlife Crime Unit

Gordon Birtwistle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what plans she has for the future of the National Wildlife Crime Unit after March 2013;
	(2)  what plans she has for the funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit after March 2013.

Jeremy Browne: Decisions on Government funding and plans for the future of the National Wildlife Crime Unit beyond March 2013 will be taken by Ministers later this year.

Offences against Children

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will consider extending inquiries into child abuse to cover abuse of children within religious organisations.

Jeremy Browne: Although we do not rule out taking further steps this needs to be balanced against the need to let the police and others involved in current inquiries to get on with the task of establishing the facts and, in the case of police investigations, seeing whether there are any criminal charges that need to be brought. We do not want any further inquiries or investigations to get in the way of that vital work.
	If anyone has any information about abuse, past or present, then they should report it to their local police force so that it can be properly investigated.

Prostitution

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders were charged with soliciting in 2011; and what penalties were imposed on them.

Jeremy Wright: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
	The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts during 2011 for offences of soliciting, together with the type of sentence received at all courts in England and Wales can be viewed in the following table.
	The maximum sentence available for ‘Soliciting another for the purpose of obtaining their sexual services as a prostitute in a street or public place’ under S.51A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 is a fine up to level 3 on the standard scale (£1,000).
	Charging data are not collated centrally and therefore proceedings data have been provided in lieu.
	
		
			 Defendants(1) proceeded against for offences of soliciting(2) at magistrates courts in 2011 and found guilty at all courts in England and Wales, by type of sentence received—England and Wales 
			 Offence Proceeded against Proceedings discontinued Withdrawn Found guilty Community sentence Conditional discharge Fine Otherwise dealt with(3) 
			 Solicit another for the purpose of obtaining their sexual services as a prostitute in a street/public place 42 2 11 29 1 8 19 1 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) The Sexual Offences Act 2003 has been amended by section 19 of the Policing and Crime Act 2009 to create an offence of soliciting a person in a street or public place for the purpose of obtaining sexual services from a prostitute. This can include a person soliciting from a vehicle in a street or public place and replaces the offences of kerb crawling and persistent soliciting found in the Sexual Offences Act 1985. Commencement date 1 April 2010. (3) The category Otherwise Dealt With (ODW) includes: one day in police cells; disqualification order; restraining order; confiscation order; travel restriction order; disqualification from driving; hospital order; recommendation for deportation; and other miscellaneous disposals. Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services within the Ministry of Justice

UK Border Agency

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps she has taken to ensure that applicants to the UK Border Agency are given correct advice.

Mark Harper: holding answer 6 November 2012
	The UK Border Agency strives to ensure that the information provided to applicants is correct and up to date.
	The UK Border Agency website gives standardised information on all the services which the Agency provides and this is regularly updated to ensure that the latest guidance is available.

UK Border Agency

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the value of compensation paid by the UK Border Agency to applicants following incorrect advice given to applicants in each of the last three years.

Mark Harper: holding answer 6 November 2012
	The information is not held in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many written parliamentary questions to her Department received a substantive answer (a) within five working days, (b) between six and 10 working days and (c) after more than 10 working days in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Mark Harper: In the period between 1 November 2011 and 31 October 2012 the Home Office gave substantive answers to (a) 1,476 parliamentary questions (PQs) within five working days, (b) 1,206 PQs between six and 10 working days and (c) 844 PQs after more than 10 working days.
	The Government has committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the current Session. Statistics relating to performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary Session are available on the Parliament website as follows:
	http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bangladesh

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 6 November 2012, Official Report, column 601W, on Bangladesh, if she will publish a copy of each random audit undertaken on joint recipients.

Alan Duncan: Parts of the 70 audits for sub-grants are commercially sensitive. While it would be disproportionate cost to provide redacted copies of all of the reports, I will deposit a cross section of 10 redacted reports in the Library in due course.

Developing Countries: Land

Heather Wheeler: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions officials in her Department have had with the World Bank Group on the need to review their policies for the governance and transparency of any investments involving or enabling agricultural large-scale land acquisitions.

Alan Duncan: Officials from my Department meet frequently with the World Bank Group on a range of issues. The Government recognises the need for good governance and transparency in investments involving large-scale land acquisitions. We continue to. discuss with non-government organisations how investments can protect the legitimate rights of local people and not to undermine local food security.
	When done well, commercial investments in agriculture have the potential to be transformational, but it is vital that the rights and interests of the people living on the land are taken into account.

Developing Countries: Primary Education

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the global primary school completion rates were under Millennium Development Goal 2 in each year since 2000.

Lynne Featherstone: The following table, sourced from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, shows the latest year for which these data are available (2010). The indicator for the global primary school completion rate is defined as: gross intake ratio to the last grade of primary education.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Female 77.9 79.3 80.8 81.5 83.1 84.1 84.5 84.9 86.9 87.7 88.5 89.4 
			 Male 84.0 85.2 86.0 86.6 86.8 87.9 88.3 88.5 90.0 90.0 90.7 91.2 
			 Total 81.0 82.3 83.5 84.1 85.0 86.0 86.5 86.7 88.5 88.9 89.6 90.3

Fiji

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding her Department has allocated to Fiji in each of the last five years.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not have a bilateral programme with Fiji. The UK does however provide assistance through our attributable contributions to multilateral development organisations and global programmes that benefit a number of countries. Information on the amount of UK aid provided to Fiji for each of the last five years can be found in table 14.5 of Statistics on International Development (SID):
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/publications1/sid2012/Table14.5-Pacific.xls

Fiji

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to promote good governance in Fiji.

Alan Duncan: DFID does not have a bilateral programme with Fiji. DFID does however provide support to Fiji through three multi-country programmes funded under DFID's Governance and Transparency Fund (GTF), a one-off fund created to help citizens hold their Governments to account. These programmes aim to increase government accountability, improve standards of governance and transparency, and strengthen budget-making processes.

Pay

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many employees in her Department are paid in excess of (a) £80,000 and (b) £100,000.

Alan Duncan: The following table gives the number of employees in DFID with a full-time equivalent salary of (a) between £80,000 and £100,000 and (b) over £100,000.
	
		
			 Salary range Number of employees 
			 £80,000 to £100,000 13 
			 Over £100,000 7

Somaliland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding her Department provided to Somaliland in 2011-12.

Justine Greening: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not compile formal aid expenditure statistics broken down at sub-national level. UK bilateral aid expenditure (in thousands) to Somalia (including Somaliland) for 2011-12 was £101,483.

Somaliland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials of her Department are currently stationed in Somaliland.

Justine Greening: The Department for International Development does not publish the numbers of staff in each country where we operate, as this may represent a security risk, especially to our staff serving in hostile environments or fragile states.

JUSTICE

Corruption

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress the Government has made on appointing a new anti-corruption champion.

Jeremy Wright: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by the Prime Minister on 30 October 2012, Official Report, column 166W. The Minister without Portfolio, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), is the international anti-corruption champion.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average time taken to process criminal injury compensation claims is; what the target time for processing such claims is; and when he expects that claim reference X/12/304992 will be determined.

Helen Grant: The average time taken to first decision was 8.2 months, as at the end of October. To ensure the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority's application of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is as robust as possible all applicants can ask for a review of their case if they are unhappy with the decision. The average time to review decision was 4.8 months, as at the end of October. If the applicant remains unhappy after the review they can appeal to the first-tier tribunal.
	The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority do not have a specific target for the time taken to process individual claims, because of the wide variety of cases they deal with. They do, however, monitor the average time taken to first and review decisions and have a performance range which they aim to achieve. This is between 7.5 and 8.5 months to first decision and between five and six months to review decision. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority are resolving more cases, more quickly than ever before. Since 2007 the average time to decide a case has nearly halved.
	Please contact the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority directly if you wish to discuss an individual case as Ministers cannot intervene in cases.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a draft of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme Hardship Fund before the end of November 2012;
	(2)  when he plans to make a statement setting out the details of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme Hardship Fund.

Helen Grant: Yes I will place in the Library a draft of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme Hardship Fund before the end of November 2012. I will issue a written ministerial statement in the House setting out the details of the Hardship Fund by the end of the month.

Dementia

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to support the Prime Minister's dementia challenge and the work of each of the challenge groups; what resources he has committed and timescales he has set for this work; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: For driving improvements in health and care—July's White Paper on social care "Caring for our future: reforming care and support" sets out the Government's aim to clarify the responsibility for providing social care to prisoners. My officials are working with the Department of Health to develop, with stakeholders, a new framework for provision of care in prisons. This will include prisoners with dementia. For offenders in the community, service entitlements for health and social care provision are in place as part of mainstream services. Probation staff are able to support offenders to access these services.
	On creating dementia friendly communities that understand how to help—The Ministry of Justice recently consulted on a range of measures aiming to make the Office of the Public Guardian's (OPG) services as simple, speedy and accessible as possible. This includes making Lasting and Enduring Powers of Attorney, which are an important part of planning ahead for any future loss of mental capacity, and supervision of court-appointed deputies. The OPG is also contributing to the efforts of the financial services industry to make the sector more dementia friendly, focusing on enabling high street bank and building society staff to recognise and understand Enduring and Lasting Powers of Attorney and court-appointed deputies. In prisons, work is already under way to improve staff awareness and capacity. NOMS has published specific guidance to staff on dementia, and is working to identify examples of good practice.
	For better research—A number of UK prisons are taking part in independent international research which is under way to identify treatment challenges and prisoners with dementia.

Fines

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many fines were levied in each of the following value bands (a) up to £100, (b) £101 to £500, (c) £501 to £1,000, (d) £1,001 to £2,500, (e) £2,501 to £5,000 and (f) more than £5,000;
	(2)  what the average value of fine levied in each of the last five years was;
	(3)  what the total value of fines levied by the courts in England and Wales was in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The number of defendants sentenced to a fine and the value bands of the fine levied at all courts in England and Wales in 2011 can be viewed in Table 1.
	The average value of fines levied and the total value of fines levied at all courts in England and Wales from 2007 to 2011 can be viewed in the Table 2.
	
		
			 Table 1: Defendants sentenced to a fine, the value bands of the fine levied at all courts in England and Wales, 2011(1,2) 
			  Defendants fined 
			 Up to £100 321,435 
			 £101 to £500 449,364 
			 £501 to £1,000 78,507 
			 £1,001 to £2,500 1,470 
			 £2,501 to £5,000 559 
			 Over £5,000 272 
			 Total 851,607 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: The total number of fine levied, the average value of fines levied and the total value of fines levied, at all courts in England and Wales, 2007-11(1,2) 
			  Total number of fine levied Average value of fines (£) Total value of fines (£) 
			 2007 941,534 172 161,773,040 
			 2008(3) 890,296 199 177,141,293 
		
	
	
		
			 2009 946,146 219 207,326,777 
			 2010 893,931 223 199,139,609 
			 2011 851,607 215 183,397,104 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Legal Aid Scheme

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what form of identification is required to access legal aid.

Jeremy Wright: Generally, in order to access legal aid, evidence of identity for the purpose of assessing the applicant's means is required, subject to limited exceptions. Evidence will usually include items such as wage slips, state benefit notification letters, bank and building society statements, trading accounts and tax returns (for self employed individuals) and tenancy agreements.
	There are certain criminal legal aid cases where for practical reasons it may not be possible to obtain documents prior to assessing eligibility. In these cases assurance checks are undertaken retrospectively.

Magistrates' Courts: West Yorkshire

Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were commenced in the magistrates courts in the West Yorkshire police area in (a) 2004 and (b) 2008.

Jeremy Wright: The number of proceedings for criminal offences in the magistrates courts in the West Yorkshire police force area in 2004 was 103,855. The figure for 2008 was 75,148.

Pay

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employees in his Department are paid in excess of (a) £80,000 and (b) £100,000.

Jeremy Wright: As of 30 September 2012, there were 318 officials within the Ministry of Justice and its agencies (including the National Offender Management Service, Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service and Office of the Public Guardian) earning a full-time equivalent salary in excess of £80,000 per annum. Of these 318 officials, 68 were earning a full-time equivalent salary in excess of £100,000 per annum.

Sentencing: EU Nationals

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many nationals of (a) the Republic of Ireland and (b) other EU countries excluding the UK were sentenced to imprisonment following conviction for a crime in the UK in each year since 1999.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not all the specific circumstances of each case.
	It is therefore not possible to identify from this centrally held information the nationality of offenders given a custodial sentence following a conviction.
	The following table provides data taken from the Ministry of Justice Prisons Reception Database, and shows the number of immediate custodial sentenced receptions into prison establishments in England and Wales, from 2003 to 2011, for the requested nationalities.
	
		
			 Immediate custodial sentenced receptions into prison establishments by nationality status, England and Wales 
			  Republic of Ireland EU countries(2) 
			 2003 875 1,168 
			 2004 946 1,436 
			 2005 822 1,823 
			 2006 826 2,182 
			 2007 711 2,880 
			 2008 742 3,794 
			 2009 689 4,804 
			 2010(1) n/a n/a 
			 2011(3) 736 5,808 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Following the introduction and phased roll-out of a new case management system for prisons (prison-NOMIS) from May 2009, data collection issues emerged that affected the supply of data for statistical purposes. * not available. (2) Composition of European Union countries as at October 2012. Figures exclude UK. (3) Provisional pending the outcome of data quality work. Data Sources and Quality: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Sick Leave

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many days on average staff of his Department in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last 12 months.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice's ill health absence data for the period requested are currently unavailable because of technical difficulties. Once these difficulties are rectified, which should be within the next few weeks, I shall write to my hon. Friend with the information and place a copy of the letter in the House of Commons Library.

Young Offenders

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people entered the youth justice system for the first time in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012.

Jeremy Wright: The following table shows the number of juveniles (persons aged under 18) that entered the criminal justice system for the first time in 2011 and 2012.
	
		
			 Number of juvenile first time entrants to the criminal justice system(1) in England and Wales, 12 months ending March 2011 to 12 months ending March 2012 
			  Numbers of offenders 
			 2011 45,910 
			 2012 36,677 
			 (1) Offenders recorded on the police national computer (PNC) by an English or Welsh police force as having received their first conviction, caution, reprimand or warning. Offences resulting in penalty notices for disorder are not counted as first offences. Source: Police National Computer, Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	These figures are taken from the data in Table 7.2 in ‘Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly Update to March 2012’ which was published on 13 September 2012. The full report can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/statistics/criminal-justice-stats/criminal-justice-stats-march-2012.pdf

SCOTLAND

Unemployment

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent assessment he has made of unemployment in Scotland.

David Mundell: The UK Government works to help individuals find long-term meaningful employment. It is of great concern that the latest Scottish figures show an increase in unemployment while it is falling in the rest of the UK. This is why Scotland's two governments need to work together for the benefit of Scotland.

Voluntary Sector

Mary Macleod: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of the voluntary sector in Scotland.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I meet regularly with representatives from Scotland’s voluntary sector to discuss a range of issues.

Overseas Students

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with universities in Scotland on the effects of the Government’s immigration policy on overseas student numbers.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I meet regularly with representatives from Scotland’s universities to discuss a range of issues.

TRANSPORT

Employment Agencies

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the use of offshore employment companies in the supply of public sector workers in his Department and its associated public bodies.

Norman Baker: The Department's policy is to only use employment companies which are part of the Government Procurement Service Framework. There are no offshore companies on this list.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will ask HS2 Ltd to publish feedback received by letter, email and telephone in local community fora; and if he will review the process for holding such fora.

Simon Burns: HS2 Ltd set up community forums along the London-Birmingham high speed rail line of route to provide an opportunity for local representatives to raise issues of importance to them and to review information updates on the project. The forums are meetings held on a bi-monthly cycle and are chaired by a local participant wherever practicable. HS2 Ltd keep the way the forums run under constant review.
	HS2 Ltd do not intend to publish individual items of correspondence from local community forums, but all agendas and minutes of the forums are made publicly available at:
	http://highspeedrail.dft.gov.uk/forums/community-forums
	Feedback from community forums will inform HS2's design work, which will in turn be presented for public consultation in the draft Environmental Statement, providing the public with a chance to comment on whether they feel their comments have been taken into account.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to ensure that the processes being followed on High Speed 2 comply with the requirements of the Aarhus Convention.

Simon Burns: I recognise the requirements set out in the Aarhus Convention and how they apply to HS2. The Department and HS2 Ltd have actively considered these requirements as part of their work programme.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish all the reports prepared for his Department by Arup on options for a high speed railway in the last five years.

Simon Burns: Reports from contractors on route options for HS2 are routinely published on the Department's website once they have been considered and approved by the Secretary of State. They are available at the following address:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/topics/high-speed-rail
	Some older reports have been archived and are available at:
	www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Roads: Accidents

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many collisions involving cars and HGVs on roads with speed limits of 60mph involved a car overtaking a HGV and colliding with an oncoming vehicle in the last 12 months; and what assessment he has made of the severity of such crashes;
	(2)  if he will estimate how many crashes there have been between cars and HGVs on roads with a speed limit of 60mph in the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: Information is provided in the following table on the reported number of personal injury accidents on single carriageway roads with 60 mph speed limits which involved at least one car and one HGV across each of the last five years.
	
		
			 Reported number of personal injury accidents on single carriageway roads with 60 mph speed limits involving cars/HGVs: 2007-11 
			 Number of accidents 
			  Number of collisions involving at least one car and one HGV All collisions involving all vehicles 
			 2007 514 28,575 
			 2008 443 25,288 
			 2009 315 23,263 
			 2010 332 20,895 
			 2011 267 19,855 
			 Source: STATS19 Police Data, Department for Transport 
		
	
	Information on the reported number of personal injury accidents in 2011 on single carriageway roads with 60 mph speed limits which involved at least one car overtaking any moving vehicle is provided in the following table. The table also includes information on the number of people killed or seriously injured as a result of these collisions.
	
		
			 Reported number of personal injury accidents and subsequent casualties on single carriageway roads with 60 mph limits involving at least one car overtaking a moving vehicle: Great Britain 2011 
			 Number of accidents/casualties 
			  Total number of collisions Number of casualties killed Number of casualties seriously injured 
			 2011 998 49 288 
			 Source: STATS19 Police Data, Department for Transport 
		
	
	Information about what type of vehicle was overtaken is not collected so it is impossible to state how many of these collisions involved a car overtaking an HGV. In addition, it is not possible to determine whether the resulting collision was with an oncoming vehicle.

Severn River Crossing: Tolls

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport at what level the tolls for use of the Severn bridges will be set from January 2013.

Stephen Hammond: The tolls on the Severn Crossings are amended each year in accordance with the rules set out in the Severn Bridges Act 1992. Every year the tolls are calculated from the September Retail Prices Index figure and then rounded to the nearest 10p. The toll levels from 1 January 2013 will be:
	Category 1: Cars and motor caravans—£6.20 (£6.00 in 2012)
	Category 2: Small goods vehicles and small buses—£12.40 (£12.10 in 2012)
	Category 3: Heavy goods vehicles and buses—£18.60 (£18.10 in 2012)
	The tolls levels will be confirmed in an Order made by the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), in December.

TREASURY

Child Benefit

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 9 November 2012, Official Report, column 784W, on child benefit, for what reason the number of child benefit claims under EC Regulations is not available; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: Information about the total number of child benefit claims received under the EC Regulations is not available because there is no business need to collect that data. HM Revenue and Customs does keep a record of child benefit claims made under the EC Regulations which are successful and this information is used for monitoring purposes and identifying cases for an annual review of entitlement.

ICT

Gary Streeter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will instruct his Department to instal a digital display outside his Department's Whitehall building showing the current (a) level of public debt, (b) relevant annual interest payment and (c) the annual budget deficit.

Sajid Javid: There is no intention to instal a digital display outside the HM Treasury building on Horse Guards Road. However, the Budget Red Book clearly displays the level of debt and the deficit and that the Government has cut the deficit in the past two years.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the preparedness of employers who (a) employ more than 5,000 employees and (b) employ fewer than 5,000 employees for the planned introduction of PAYE Real Time Information in April 2013; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HMRC has 1,148 very large employer schemes with over 5,000 employees. Over the past few months each of these schemes has been contacted either by their HMRC customer relationship manager or by their payroll software provider or bureau to ensure readiness for reporting PAYE in real time and agree individual start dates.
	40 of the very large schemes have already joined RTI in stage 1 or 2 of the pilot and another 248 are scheduled to join in stage 3 which started on 6 November and runs until the end of March 2013.
	HMRC tracks RTI awareness and preparedness, of employers with fewer than 5,000 employees, via a two-monthly RTI awareness survey.
	The findings from this awareness work suggest that RTI awareness and preparedness is on track.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many providers of payroll software have (a) made representations to his Department about PAYE Real Time Information and (b) been recognised by his Department as providers of software for PAYE Real Time Information.

David Gauke: HMRC actively consulted on RTI with employers, the payroll industry and software providers and will continue to do so.
	HMRC are aware of around 270 software developers actively developing an RTI solution.
	HMRC offers PAYE software developers a form of accreditation called PAYE Recognition. Products that pass PAYE Recognition are listed on HMRC's website. 40 software developers have requested HMRC recognition for RTI enabled products to date and 31 developers have completed the process.
	Software developers are not required to seek PAYE Recognition and HMRC do not suggest that a non-recognised product is in any way inferior. It is a commercial decision for a software developer to seek recognition from HMRC. HMRC recognition provides assurance to the customer that the commercial products recognised by HMRC, and listed on their website, have successfully demonstrated the ability to:
	file a valid RTI return, and
	retrieve national insurance number verifications online.
	Products that provide a level of payroll functionality also have to satisfy a range of general payroll tests.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of employees served by PAYE systems provided by suppliers who are not registered by HM Revenue and Customs for Real Time Information; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HMRC estimate that approximately two thirds of employees and pensioners PAYE information is submitted using software produced by developers who have not yet joined the RTI pilot. This represents approximately 26 million employments. This figure will reduce as more software developers join the pilot.
	All PAYE software developers registered with HMRC receive regular updates, support and guidance on RTI changes and access to the RTI test services.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason he has required normal working hours be collected with PAYE Real Time Information; what the specification is of the information employers should provide on such data; whether such data will be used for a purpose related to universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The hours worked reported under Real Time Information will be used for tax credit compliance activity and from April 2014 HMRC will use RTI as part of the process for renewing tax credits claims.
	Employers will be required to report how many hours their employee is normally expected to work in a week. If the hours vary from week to week they will be expected to indicate what they consider is the employee's normal number of paid hours. The hours worked will be reported in four different bands:
	A—Up to 15.99 hours
	B—16 to 29.99 hours
	C—30 hours or more
	D—Other eg occupational pensioners
	The Department for Work and Pensions do not currently envisage using hours worked data for calculating universal credit (UC).

Pensions

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the (a) benefits and (b) disadvantages of people in ill health who choose to (i) use pension income drawdown and (ii) purchase an annuity;
	(2)  what consideration he has given to altering the rules on pensions income drawdown for people in ill health who are unlikely to reach average age.

Sajid Javid: The Government has taken action to ensure the rules on pensions income drawdown provide individuals with flexibility to make arrangements that suit their circumstances and preferences, for example by removing the requirement for individuals aged 75 and over to purchase an annuity from 2011-12. As with all areas of the tax system, we keep these rules under review.
	People approaching retirement do not need to purchase an annuity from their existing pension provider and can shop around on the open market. Shopping around and exercising the right to take an 'open market option' can significantly increase an individual's retirement income. This might include considering alternative types of annuity, including 'enhanced' or 'impaired' annuities which can take account of an individual's health and/or lifestyle. The choice between different annuity types will depend on the individual policyholder's preferences.

Staff

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of turnover is for officials in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The annualised turnover rate for HM Treasury between April 2012 to September 2012 (excluding the transfer of the Performance and Reform Unit to the Cabinet Office) was 22%. This compares with 25% during the same period in 2011 (excluding the transfer of staff on the formation of Office of Budget Responsibility).